Super Mario Run Tips and Tricks

Best your friends in Toad Rally races with these tips and tricks for Super Mario Run.

As expected, Super Mario Run has quickly jumped up to the top of the Google Play Store app charts, as millions of Android users finally get a chance to check in with Mario’s latest adventure.

Once you’ve completed the main story mode, Toad Rally emerges as the core mode in which you’ll spend most of your time playing. Racing against other players from around the world, your goal is to collect as many coins and pull off as many epic jumps as possible. You can learn more about the basic controls in our Super Mario Run FAQ, but if you really want an edge on the competition, look no further than these seven great tips and tricks to get the most out of Super Mario Run.

Let coins and arrows to guide you to more coins

This one’s pretty simple, but it’s worth stating: when you see an arrow, take note and try to follow it’s path. It will often lead you to new heights, more coins… and maybe even a hidden Challenge Coin.

Coins also double when you’re enjoying a Coin Rush, so all the more reason to follow those arrows for maximum scoring!

Mastering the mid-air stall is key

Controls are incredibly limited in Super Mario Run, but there are a few ways you can tweak Mario’s jump. Perhaps the most useful and trickiest to pull off is the mid-air stall. This special move will pause Mario’s forward progress in mid-air and move you backward just a step.To perform it, touch the screen to high-jump, and then swipe to the left while in mid-air. This move is especially useful while playing as Yoshi and Princess Peach, as you can couple it with their floaty jumps to actually float a significant distance backwards. A great trick to pull in a Toad Rally if you just missed out on a treasure trove of coins.

Dying isn’t necessarily a bad thing

This kinda goes against all video game logic, but dying in Super Mario Run can actually be helpful. Sure, you lose a couple of coins when you die, but it can also put you back at the very beginning of the level without resetting the content or killing clock. So, if you want to go back and get that challenge coin you missed or want to check an alternate path, you can do so with little repercussion. Just remember the further you go back, the more likely you are to run out of time, so don’t dilly-dally.

Don’t forget that you can tap a bubble to rewind

Instead of letting Mario fall off a ledge, you can also tap the Bubble button at the top of the screen at any time to rewind the level. Miss out on a Challenge Coin? You can bubble back and make the magic happen. Just remember that you won’t get any extra time on the clock, so hurry!

Go into a boss battle powered up

Fact: It’s incredibly easy to defeat Bowser with a mushroom-powered Mario. To beat him as small Mario, you have to jump over his massive shell (or time a run when he jumps into the air) and grab the axe, which falls and busts up the bridge he is standing on. It’s really hard to jump over him as is, but especially when you’re small mario. But if you’re powered up with a mushroom, you can take a hit from Bowser and still make it to the axe. If you’re playing as one of the optional characters such as Toad or Yoshi, take a minute to study Bowsers attack and jump patterns, then take advantage of their unique jump skills to coast right past him.

Play longer by turning down the graphics settings

You can lower the amount of battery power Super Mario Bros needs by lowering the rendering and graphics settings in the game. To do so tap Menu > Settings > Options. From there, you can tap the rendering and graphics settings to toggle each from high to low. We only recommend toggling the graphics setting though, since lowering the rendering is super noticeable and might throw you off while playing.

Sign up for, or log into My Nintendo

You receive extra rewards for connecting your My Nintendo account. If you played Miitomo you likely signed up then, and you can use the same account for Super Mario Run. Rewards include extra coins, Toad Rally tickets, decorations for your kingdom, and you also unlock Toad as a playable character.

Got any tips of your own to share?

Have you figured out some great strategies or discovered any easter eggs? Let us know in the comments!